Don't Let Me Go
by beyond.the.barricade.91
Summary: Eponine is stuck with the hardest decision, choosing between her best friend and the man she thinks she's meant to be with. Both are begging, but she can only keep one. Who's heart will she take and who's heart will she break?
1. Chapter 1

Don't Let Me Go:

Preface:

Eponine's POV:

Sometimes things happen that you can't explain. Sometimes, your heart can get broken for no reason at all. Sometimes, the person that broke it doesn't even care. Maybe he just doesn't know. But, sometimes, you can fall for somebody TOTALLY unexpected. Sometimes, it's the person who has been there for you your whole life. That one person who watched you fall in and out of love so many times and never lost their feelings for you. That one person who was there all along. That one person who is begging, "Don't let me go."


	2. Chapter 2

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 1:

Eponine's POV:

"It's over, Ep." He says to me without the slightest bit of regret.

"You can't be serious," I say, not able to look at him.

"Eponine, I just can't be with you right now. Things are just way too complicated for us to be together."

"Enjy, we've stayed together through thick and thin. We've broken up and we've gotten back together. This time is going to be no different."

"That's what I'm talking about. I can't keep going back and forth anymore. I just think we need some time apart. I'm not saying I don't want to be around you anymore. We can still be-"

"Don't even say it." I say, cutting him off. "Enjorlas, we've been together for 2 years, you can't just be giving up on us."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to lose you, but I can't be tied down anymore. You're messing with my head and, frankly, I don't even know who I am anymore," he says, looking down on me. I look away and wipe the tear that's running down my face. "Eponine, please don't cry." He puts his hand on my cheek and I quickly push it away.

"Okay, you want space. Fine, I'm leaving." I say and walk out the door, slamming it behind me.

I can barely hear him yell my name as I run down the stairs of his apartment building.

I need to go for a walk; that always clears my head better than anything. I remember meeting Enjorlas for the first time. He's friends with my best friend, Marius Pontmercy. They work at the ABC Café downtown together. On Marius' first day, I decided to visit him and bring him lunch. That's what best friends do anyway. When I walked in, I couldn't find Marius. All I saw was Enjorlas. He was beautiful. He had long, scruffy blonde hair and a little bit of stubble on his chin. He was wearing a red coat over his outfit for work. He looked right at me and something hit me. I fell in love right then and there. When I finally found Marius, I made him introduce to me to Enjorlas. We hit it off right away and started dating 2 weeks after that. That was 2 years ago. Ever since then, it's been fight after fight after fight. But we've always gotten back together. Nothing was strong enough to keep up apart.

Something about this time feels different, though. It feels more permanent. He looked more serious than he ever has about it. And that's why I couldn't stop crying. It was snowing outside, so I was able to hide my face in my scarf and my coat.

On the walk home, I'm completely lost in thought, so I get to my house without even thinking. My parents are of course not home, they work all day long, so I never really get to see them. I'm just hoping my little brother's home.

I walk inside and softly yell, "Gav?"

"Up here, Ep!" he yells back. I run up the stairs into his room and find him playing video games with no other than Marius. I feel myself let out a sigh of relief seeing him here. I know he'll be there for me.

Marius turns to me and immediately drops the controller. He gets up and runs over to my side.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I can't help my smile. "It's nothing, really." I start to walk away.

"Marius…" I hear Gavroche say.

"I'll be right back, don't worry." He says and quietly follows me.

I walk into my room and sit on my bed. He comes in and shuts the door.

"Okay, what happened?" he asks, but his arm around me.

"Enjorlas broke up with me." I say quietly because I know what he's going to say.

"Well, what's new there?" he chuckles and I smile because he's right. "But, why are you crying about it? You're usually fine."

"I think he really meant it this time. He didn't seem mad or upset. It seemed like he felt…nothing. That he's really just done." The tears start coming again. I try to hold it in, but I just feel so broken. It's nice though, having Marius there. He's always just been there.

"He's stupid. He's losing the best thing that's ever going to happen to him." He says, smiling.

"Why do you think that?"

"You're beautiful. You're smart, you're the coolest girl I know, you're fun, you have a great sense of humor, an awesome personality…do I even need to go on?"

"You…you think I'm beautiful?" I say, looking down. He puts his hand under my chin.

"The most beautiful girl I know," he says and winks at me. I grab his hand, keeping my eyes on his.

"Thank you, Marius. You're such a great friend."


	3. Chapter 3

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 2:

Marius' POV:

Well, that stung more than it should have. I just told her that she's the most beautiful girl I know…and all she can say is that I'm a really great friend. That's it? Gosh, I wish I wasn't so in love with her, it would be easier to let go.

I've known Eponine since we were 5 years old. We were in the same Kindergarten class and we hit it off almost immediately. She's my best friend. I tell her that she's like the sister I never had, but I want more. I want so much more out of this relationship. I want her to look at me more than her best friend. But, that'll never happen.

Eponine is the coolest girl I know. She's so down to earth. She's not a drama queen like the rest of the girls at school. She's the most confident person I know and she has never ever cared about what anyone else thinks about her. I have so much respect for that.

I snap back to reality and see Eponine holding my arm, smiling. I quickly pull it back to my body and stand up.

"What's wrong?" she asks, her eyes growing wide.

"Nothing, I just, I…" I stammer as I try to find an excuse to leave her room, "I forgot, I promised Gav a game before I left." I walk to her door and she quickly follows behind.

"Before you left? I thought…I thought maybe we can hang tonight? I really need a night out with my best friend," she says, batting her big brown eyes at me. I wish I could just say no…but I can't.

"Fine. We can go to dinner or something. Whatever your little broken heart desires," I say and can't help but smile. I hate that I love her this much. It's impossible to say no to her.

She gets the biggest smile on her face, kisses me on the cheek and runs out of the room. I've never seen her so excited. I stop for a minute and smile. I can't stop smiling, I probably look like an idiot.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to see Enjorlas texted me.

"Hey, can we meet up? I broke up with Ep and I need to talk about it." I roll my eyes and chuckle to myself as I text back.

"Sure. Park?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. Be there in 10."

We always meet up in Copley Square. That's always been a meeting place for Enj and me AND Eponine and me. It's where they had their first date too. So, this place is pretty important to both of them. I stuff my phone back in my pocket and start to head out of Eponine's room. Gavroche is blocking the door staring up at me.

"Where are you going?" he asks with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I have to go meet Enjorlas. He said he wanted to talk to me about something." I answer and move him out of my way to get through.

"And why do you look so happy about it?" I stop in my tracks and turn around to look at him. He's smirking. And when Gavroche smirks…he knows something. Who am I kidding? He knows everything.

"How much do you know and what am I going to have to pay you to keep your mouth shut?" I ask, getting down to his level.

"I know how you feel about my sister. But, since you're like a brother to me, a brother that I've never had, and I love you, probably as much as you love Eponine-" he says and I cover his mouth and shush him. He moves my hand and laughs, "it's okay. She can't hear anything while she's watching TV. Anyway, I'm not going to cost you anything. I'd much rather you be with Eponine than Enjorlas. I like you more." He smiles and so do I.

"Well, I'm glad to have your approval, bud," I high-five him. "You're awesome. Don't forget that."

"Oh, I don't," he winks. "Now, go. Get your talk over with, you gotta get ready for your date tonight," he sing-songs. I shake my head and laugh. I run down the stairs and quietly slip out the front door without Ep noticing me. I make my way to the park and see Enj sitting on a bench, tears in his eyes.

There's no way he's getting Eponine back. Not this time.


	4. Chapter 4

Don't Let Me Go:  
Chapter 3:

Marius' POV:

I slowly make my way to the bench. I know that this isn't going to be easy, but I'm going to have to tell him that I'm in love with Eponine. I need to do something for me now and I'm sick and tired of being friend-zoned. The only thing standing in my way is Enjorlas, but I think Ep might actually be done with him. I just need to convince him otherwise.

"Hey, Enj," I say, sitting down next to him. He turns away a little so I can't see his face.

"I broke her heart." He says.

"Yeah, I know. I've never seen her that upset about you breaking up with her. So, was that it? Is it officially over?" I ask, knowing the answer. He always gets like this after he breaks up with her or she breaks up with him. He immediately goes running back. He shoots me a look and I look at the ground.

"I'm going to get her back. I have to."

"Dude, I don't think that's possible. She was devastated. And look, I love you and all, but I don't want to see her like that again. You need to make a decision. Do you want to be with her or not? Or are you still just not sure?" I start getting mad. He's playing Eponine like no other and he doesn't even care. He's only thinking about himself and that's all it's ever been. I hate seeing her like that.

"Why are you getting so heated about this? What, do you like her or something?" he asks, looking straight at me.

"Look, all I'm saying is that she's taken a lot of crap from you. A LOT. Have you even once considered talking to her before you've broken up with her? Maybe tried to fix things before just leaving her? And then, when you decide that you've been lonely for long enough, you win her back by doing some cheesy move? Do you care about her? Do you? At all?"

"I do. I do a lot, Marius. You don't understand the relationship we have. We don't talk about our feelings, we just act on them." He answers, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"That's not a relationship. You need to make a decision. Either stay with her, or don't. But stop playing around with her. She's not a toy, you know." I say, and walk away. Okay, so I might be a hypocrite by not "talking about why I'm upset" with him, but I just need to get some air. I'll meet up with him later and apologize. Eponine is just so important to me. I'm not going to let him do this to her.

I walk around downtown Boston for a little while. It's freezing outside, but I'm not ready to go home to an empty house again. After mom died and dad left, it's so lonely. Yes, I'm capable of living by myself, but it's too lonely to be there all day. That's why I'm with Eponine and Gav all the time. They're the family I've never had and I'm grateful that they like hanging around me as much as they do.

I'm lost in my thoughts when suddenly, I bump into something. I stumble to the ground and see that it's not a something, but someone. I look up and see a beautiful girl with long, curly blonde hair covered by a beanie. Her eyes are the bluest I've ever seen, and maybe even the prettiest. I see she dropped a basket off to the side. I pick it up and hand it to her.

"I didn't see you there. Forgive me." I say, not able to take my eyes off of hers. We're both holding the basket and stand at the same time.

"Thank you, sir." She says. Her voice is so soft and a bit high. A perfect fit for her.

"I'm uh...my name is Marius Pontmercy." I smile.

"Mine's Cosette."

I still can't take my eyes off of her. She's gorgeous. She's smiling and staring right back at me.

Come on, Marius, say something! I can't find any words. I'm completely blank.

"Cosette!" A man's voice calls from behind her. Cosette turns around.

"Coming, papa!" She calls back. "I have to go, sir. Thank you for picking up my basket," She smiles and tugs a little on the basket. I realize I'm giving it a death grip. I chuckle, embarrassed, and give it back to her. As she starts to walk away, I know I have to ask.

"Is there any way I can see you again?" She turns back to me, her smile even wider.

"I'm going to see a show tonight at Copley. You could meet me there. 5 ish?"

"It's a date," I say confidently. She chuckles a little and I realize that might've been a mistake. "I mean, it's a—um—friends, uh, we are going to—I, uh-"

"Date," she winks and then runs off.

I can't help but smile. I don't even know what I was thinking about before. All I can think about now is my date Cosette.


	5. Chapter 5

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 4:

Eponine's POV:

I'm so excited for this night out with Marius. He's so sweet and caring. He actually wants to help me feel better and I know I can always count on him.

I'm watching TV in the living room, knowing that Marius would be here any minute and we would be ready to go. I look down at my lap and realize I'm in my sweatpants with Marius' sweatshirt on. I've been in here for hours just thinking about Enjorlas that I completely forgot what I looked like. I grab the remote, turn the TV off and dart upstairs to get dressed and look decent for tonight.

Wait, for what? Marius has never cared what I look like…what am I so worried about it now? Something was different about this.

I run to my closet and start throwing clothes left and right.

"AGH!" I scream in frustration.

"Ep! Are you okay?!" I hear Gavroche yell frantically as he runs into my room.

"No, Gav. I can't find a THING to wear for my hangout with Marius tonight."

"You mean your date," he says, sitting on the edge of my bed and winking.

"No, I mean my hangout. Marius and I do not have those feelings for each other." I say and stomp out of the room into my parents' bedroom. Maybe my mom has something that I can wear.

"Oh no, I think you do." He says, chuckling a bit. I take a step out of my mom's closet and get down to his level.

"What do you know, Mister?" I say in all seriousness. He's still smiling like a buffoon.

"Nothing. Except for the way you two look at each other. I see….sparks."

"Sparks? Between Marius and me? You've got to be joking, Gav!" I step back into her closet and pull out a cute, blue, polka-dotted dress. This will do. I walk back into my bedroom with Gavroche on my tail.

"I think he has feelings for you, and I can tell you have feelings for him."

"I don't know where you're getting this from. Plus, you're ten, what do you know about relationships?" I say, holding the dress up to me and looking in the mirror.

"All I'm saying is that if Marius looked at any other girl the way he looks at you, they'd be on their knees, kissing his feet. You, on the other hand, are too blind to even see it." He says. He's right behind me, looking at me through the mirror. I throw the dress down and turn to him.

"Gavroche, my relationships are none of your business."

"Marius likes you, Ep. A lot." He says with a smirk on his face.

"This isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny. Maybe you should take a look outside of your 'relationship' with Enjorlas and see that he's been the one the whole time." Ouch, the air quotes hurt.

"He likes me?" I say. I can't hide the smile that's spreading on my face.

"He does. But don't say anything, I wasn't supposed to tell. I just want you two together so badly." He says, walking over to the door.

"Oh? And why's that?" I ask, following him.

"Because I know he'll make you happy. And I really would like to see you happy." He says showing all sincerity on his face. He's dead serious.

"You are very smart and very caring for a little kid, you know that?" I wink and ruffle his hair. He kisses me on the cheek and runs off. I slowly shut the door behind him. I lean against the door and let out a breath.

"Marius likes me. He likes me?" I say to myself. I think that I might like him back. I think that after everything I've been through Enj, I need something good in my life. Marius has been there the whole time for me. How could I have been so stupid?

"I like Marius." I say and smile.

I quickly throw on my dress and brush out my hair, smiling the whole way through. Marius might end up being my new boyfriend, and possibly the boy I spend the rest of my life with. You know what they say:

"You always end up marrying your best friend."

"I like Marius."

"Ep! Are you here?! Eponine!" I hear Marius yelling from downstairs. I immediately feel the butterflies in my stomach.

"I'll be right down!" I yell back, my voice cracking a little bit. The nerves are getting to me.

This is it. This is the moment that will change everything.


	6. Chapter 6

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 5:

Eponine's POV:

I rush out of my room and fly down the stairs. Marius is standing at the front door and I run into his arms.

"Hey, Ep," he says and I can hear him smiling. He smells so incredible. My heart is racing a mile a minute and I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep it in.

I pull away so I can look at him. He has the biggest smile on his face. This is it. It's happening.

"Wow, you look amazing," he says, looking at my dress. I blush almost immediately.

"Thank you, you're not looking so bad yourself," I smile, playing with his blazer.

"Well, thank you. I have the most amazing news." He says, his smile getting bigger.

"I think I know what it-"

"I met this girl today," he says, cutting me off, "this amazing girl. She has long, blonde curly hair and the prettiest blue eyes. She is probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Anyway, her name is Cosette. After being the awkward kid that I am, I ended up charming her and I have a date with her. Tonight!" he exclaims and puts his hand up for a high five. I look at it and just barely touch my hand to his.

My heart sinks. What was Gavroche talking about? He doesn't like me. He's going on a date with another girl on our date night. He completely forgot. And now, I have to stand here and look happy for him, and all I want to do is cry.

"That's, uh…that's really great. I'm really happy for you," I say. I can feel the expression on my face change. He didn't seem to notice though.

"I just, I wanted you to be the first to know. I think she's the one." He says, confidently.

"The one, huh?"

"Yeah. She seems so sweet. But I guess I'll find out tonight. Gosh, I'm so excited. I can't stop thinking about her. She's perfect." He continues gushing about her for another 10 minutes. I can feel the tears pooling in my eyes. I start coughing to make it seem like I'm not crying.

"Are you okay?" he asks, putting his hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling too well. Maybe you should just go." I say, walking to the door to open it.

"Ep, did I say something?" he asks, sounding really concerned.

"No, I just…I think you should just leave, okay?" my voice sounds as dry as ever. I can barely talk through the big lump in my throat.

"Are you mad at me? Did something happen that I don't know about…or…?" he seems really confused. Gosh, I just want him to leave so I can lock myself in my room and never come out.

"I'm fine. Please, just go," I say. A tear escapes the corner of my eye. Crap.

"Eponine, talk to me." He says, shutting the door.

"I can't."

"What? You can talk to me about anything. You do talk to me about anything, come on. What is it?" he asks, putting his hand on me again.

"You seriously don't know?" I ask.

"Not at all. I'm sorry that I don't. I can't help unless you tell me." He smiles a little bit.

"I'm just having a bad day. That's it. Now, go. You gotta get ready for your date tonight." I open the door again. He looks at me one more time, kisses me on the cheek, and walks out. I shut the door behind him and run up the stairs into my room. I slam the door behind me and fall to my bed. I let out sobs.

My heart feels broken all over again. Not only did Marius find another girl, he forgot about our date tonight. Or whatever it was that we were doing, I don't even know anymore. It's not even the fact that he doesn't like me, it's the fact that he left me, like Enjorlas. Nobody cares about stupid old Eponine. Why am I even here? He promised he'd stick and around and he didn't. He completely left me in the dust. I don't know what to do now. I have nobody. No best friend, no boyfriend, and neither one was my fault. I'm nothing to those people. They don't care one bit about me.

After about an hour or so, the tears stop coming. I look at myself in the mirror and my face is pretty much swollen. I don't care though, it's not like I'm going to see anybody.

There's a soft knock on my door.

"Eponine?" I hear someone whisper.

I freeze. I know that voice. This can't be happening.

The door slowly opens, revealing curly blonde locks and a face that's hard to forget. His green eyes are sparkling so much more than they ever had. I see flowers in one hand and a note in the other.

"Enjorlas?"


	7. Chapter 7

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 6:

Enjolras' POV:

Eponine looks up at me and my heart breaks. I've hurt her. I've really, really hurt her. She looks like she's been crying her eyes out all day.

I walk in and quietly shut the door behind me. I sit next to her on her bed and pull her into a hug. She puts her head on my chest and is completely silent.

"I was so wrong, Ep," I whisper. After a minute she looks up at me.

"So, what? You want me back? You want to try this again? How many times are we going to break up and get back together? It's-"

"Not healthy," I finish her sentence.

"Yeah."  
"Eponine, I love you. I really, really love you. But, I never want to break your heart again," I grab her hand. She looks up at me, her eyes watering.

"So, is this really the end? Are we finally over?" she asks, looking right in my eyes.

"Eponine, I've put a lot of thought into what I'm about to say to you right now. And no, I don't want you to be my girlfriend anymore." As soon as that comes out of my mouth, she lets out a sigh and tears fall once again. I get off of her bed and put my hands in my pockets. "Eponine, you're the one person that I love with all my heart. You're beautiful. You're sweet. You're caring. You're everything I want in a girl. I can't imagine a life without you." she sits up in her bed, looking curiously at me.

"What are you saying, Enj?" she asks.

"Look," I say, kneeling down in front of her, "I know I've hurt you in the past. And today, well, that was the dumbest decision I've ever made in my life. I never want to hurt you again."  
"You're not making any sense." She says. I chuckle and pull the small box I've been hiding out of my pocket. I pull myself up on one knee and look right into her eyes.

"Well, maybe this will make sense. I got some great advice from a guy today. He said that I needed to stop toying with your emotions. He said I needed to finally decide if I want to be with you or not. And I have," I open the box, revealing 1 karat diamond ring. Her hands cover her mouth and her eyes widen, "Eponine Thenardier, I love you more than life itself. I know you're only 18, but I'm almost 23, and I think, no, I know we're ready. I love you, I love you, I love you. Will you please do the honor of being mine forever and marrying me?"

Tears fill her eyes again, but for a different reason this time. She pulls her hands away from her mouth, revealing the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face.

"Yes," she whispers. "Yes, yes yes!" She jumps off of her bed and into my arms.

"I love you," I say into her ear. She pulls back and looks at me.  
"I love you so much," and with that she kisses me. This is the happiest moment of my life. I've realized that I love this girl with all my heart. She's the one for me. I don't think I am capable of loving anyone else. She wants to be with me for the rest of her life and I couldn't ask for anything more.


	8. Chapter 8

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 7:

Marius' POV:

I can't place my finger on why Eponine was so upset. I mean maybe I shouldn't have gushed over Cosette like that when she just got her heart broken today. But, maybe I can get over Eponine by going out with other girls. There was something about Cosette. I don't know, I feel like I fell in love right when I saw her. But, I don't think I'll ever feel for her what I feel for Ep. I'm afraid that's never going to happen. But one date can't hurt.

I look at the clock on my nightstand and see it's 4:50. I know I need to get going, but I feel like I should call Eponine to make sure she's okay. I grab my phone off my bed and dial her number.

A few rings later and it's her voicemail.

"Hey, you've reached Eponine. I can't get to the phone right now, so please leave me a message. I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!" it's her cheerful voice that I've grown to love so much.

"Hey, Ep. It's Marius. I just wanted to check to make sure you're okay. Please, call me back. If you don't I'll call you when I get home tonight." I say and hang up the phone. Now she's not answering her phone when I call her? I can't even imagine what I did to make her so upset.

I decide that I need to get my mind off of it. I go downstairs, throw my shoes on and run out the door. I reach the park in less than 5 minutes and I realize I have no idea where I'm meeting Cosette. I sit on the bench that I met Enjorlas at today. I see the stage where the band is setting up, I think it's some cover band and I've never heard of them.

I look at my phone and see that it's finally 5. I turn around on the bench and scope out the park until I see Cosette. She's wearing a light blue polka-dotted dress. Her hair is down and curly and she looks stunning. The dress though, it looks like the one that Eponine was wearing when I saw her today.

I still can't believe she was so upset when I told her about my date tonight.

My date tonight. MY DATE TONIGHT.

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot that I was supposed to go out with Eponine tonight. Oh my gosh, she's going to kill me. Or worse, she won't talk to me ever again. Oh no, I broke her heart. The look on her face, crap, crap, crap. I'm done for. She's going to hate me after this.

"Hey cutie," I hear Cosette's voice behind me.

It takes me a second to stand up and walk over to her.

"Is everything okay?" she asks, looking concerned and taking my hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I say, looking at her.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine," she says.

"No, no, I am," I say and pull her into a hug. "I'm really looking forward to tonight."

"Me too. I just moved here a month ago and I still don't know anybody. It's hard being the new kid."

"Well, we're here right now and we're going to have so much fun. I promise," I say, looking at her and winking.

She and I find a place to sit down on the grass and listen to the band.

We end up talking for a while and I realize that we have so much in common. She's such cool girl.

"I'm actually going to Berklee in the fall. I'm pursuing voice," she says, smiling.

"Oh, you're a singer? When do I get to hear you?" I say, nudging her a little bit.

"Not tonight," she laughs.

"Okay, fine, on our second date then."  
"Second date? You mean, you want to see me again?" she says, looking shyly away.

"Of course, I do," I say and pull her chin up so she's looking at me. I think I want to kiss her.

I start to lean in, ready to throw my feelings for Eponine away. She closes her eyes and leans in too. I smile a little, but something stops me. I hear Eponine's laugh in my head. Why can't I get her out of my head?

I open my eyes slightly and realize that it wasn't in my head. Eponine was standing right behind Cosette, hand in hand with Enjorlas. She's laughing too. She looks really happy. She turns her head and sees me looking at her. Cosette opens her eyes, and turns around to her, too.

"Marius?" Cosette asks. I can't say anything. I feel like I was just punched in the stomach. She's back with Enjolras.


	9. Chapter 9

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 8:

Marius' POV:

"Marius, hey, what's up?" Eponine says, walking over with Enjolras. "Oh, you must be Cosette. Marius has told me SO much about you," she smiles. Cosette stands up and shakes her hand.

"He has?" she asks.

"Oh he has," she winks. I stand up and get right behind Cosette.

"Cosette, um, this is, um-" I seriously can't even put words together. I feel awful right now and I'm doing a really bad job at hiding it.

"Eponine. And this is Enjorlas."

"Hi, Cosette," he smiles and shakes her hand.

"Hi guys, it's really nice to meet you," she smiles.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here…together?" I ask through my teeth.

"We're just-"

"Celebrating," Enjorlas finishes her sentence.

"Celebrating what?" Cosette asks, getting all excited. Eponine looks at Enjolras and can't help but smile. Enjorlas smiles right back.

"Do you want to say it or should I?" he says, almost laughing. Eponine doesn't answer him, but she doesn't take her eyes off of him. She has the biggest, most beautiful smile I've ever seen her have on her face. I'm terrified for what she's about to say. I don't know what he did or how he did it, but he got her back. And I've NEVER seen her this happy. I might have just lost my chance.

Eponine holds out her left arm and dangles her hand in front of us. Cosette gasps, and I just stare at her hand. No. No, no, no, no.

"We're getting married!" she squeals.

"Oh my gosh!" Cosette exclaims and pulls her into a hug. "This is so exciting! Can I help you plan? I love planning weddings!"

"You want to?" Eponine asks, obviously shocked.

"I do!" she smiles. I guess Cosette is the type of girl to get excited over girly things. Ep has never been like that. I think that's why I'm attracted to her most.

"Enj, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask him, motioning him over.

Enjorlas lets go of Eponine's hand and Cosette immediately grabs them. I can see Eponine suppressing a laugh as Cosette goes on and on about wedding details.

I grab Enjorlas' arm and move him a couple of yards away from the girls.

"What the heck, man?" I say when we're alone.

"What?" he asks confused.

"I thought you were breaking up with her!" I whisper sternly to him.

"Why do you care?" he asks.

"I care about Eponine!"  
"Oh really. So, wait, who was the one who forgot about their date with Ep? Huh? Who's the one that promised to be with her tonight?" he says, getting angry.

"You broke up with her today! How can you even turn this around on me? And, what? You changed your mind? You decided that you actually wanted to be with her, so you asked her to marry you?!"

"You're the one that told me to decide if I wanted to be with her or not!"  
"I-" I start but I stop myself because I have nothing. I did tell him that. I gave him stupid advice, thinking he was going to break up with her, and now they're getting married.

"What? Are you in love with her or something?" he asks.

That takes me off guard. I just look at him, speechless. I go blank and I can't find a lie to tell him.

"Oh my gosh, are you in love with her? Marius?" he asks again.

"Does that matter?"

"Yes, it does. You have a girl here that you're on a date with and you're in love with my fiancé? That's not okay." He says, rubbing his fingers against his temples.

"It's okay if I don't act on my feelings, which I never have because of you!"

"Because she chose me, Marius. She chose me. She loves me and I love her. And you better not do anything to break us up."  
"Or what?" I say, laughing. He won't do anything.  
"Marius, you're my best friend. I don't want anything to happen to that friendship, or you for that matter," he pats me on my chest and walks back over to Ep and Cosette. He grabs Eponine by the waist and pulls her into a kiss. Oh, he has no idea what he just got himself into.


	10. Chapter 10

Don't Let Me Go:  
Chapter 9:  
Eponine's POV:

Enj pulls away from me and smiles.

"What was that for?" I ask, smiling.

"Can't I kiss my fiancé without a reason?" he asks, winking. I laugh and kiss him again.

"OMG you two are so cute!" Cosette gushes again. I seriously don't know what Marius sees in this girl. She's too much like…like a girl for him.

"Cosette wants to help with the wedding," I say smiling as much as I can, even though she got a little over detailed. And she's really over the top. I mean, we just met about 5 minutes ago and she already thinks we're best friends.

"I really think we're going to be great friends after this!" she squeals a little bit. "We're going to have to spend a lot of time together to go over guest lists and seating charts and DJs and-"  
"Marius! Hey, you're back," I say, thanking the Lord he came back.

"Yeah, uh, Cosette, you want to go for a walk?" he asks, not looking at me.

"You okay?" I ask him.

"I'm great," he smiles. "I'm really happy for you guys. Come on, Cosette," he holds out his hand and she grabs it.

"It was so nice meeting you two! Ep, I'll be calling you!"

"Can't wait!" I say as they walk away. As soon as they're out of earshot, I turn to Enjorlas. He lets out a laugh.

"Hey, this is as much on you as it is me." I say.

"Oh? And how's that?" He asks, pulling me into him.

"You were the one who HAD to tell Marius." I laugh.

"Okay, so Cosette is a little excited."  
"Enj, I'm not good with girly girls." I say and he laughs.

"All that matters is you and me. Everything will fall into place." He says and kisses me lightly. I let go and grab his hand. We start walking down the trail and I know I have to ask.

"So, what did Marius want? It looked like things were getting pretty heated between you two. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, nothing bad happened. He was just asking me how I asked you and you know how he and I talk to each other. We yell, we're mean, but he's still my best friend." He smiles.

"Yeah, mine too."

"And, I'm going to ask him to be my best man." He says.

"Well, duh. I can't see anyone else being your best man."

"Ep," Enjolras stops in his tracks and looks at me, "you love me right?"  
"Of course, I do."

"And you would never leave me right? Not for anyone." He asks in all seriousness. I'm startled. Why is he asking? Does he know about my feelings for Marius?  
"No. No, of course not. I said yes to you didn't I?" I smile.

"You love me and only me, right?" he asks. He knows something. Oh gosh, he knows something.

"Why are you asking me this?" I say, trying to get away from answering.

"Just, please. Tell me."

"I love you and only you. Always and forever."

"Always and forever," he says and kisses me.

And I just lied to my fiancé. I have feelings for Marius. But, it's obvious Marius has no feelings for me. I don't know what I would do if Marius ever told me he wanted to be with me. Crap, that's two lies. Nothing is ever going to happen with Marius. Nothing can happen with Marius. I'm with Enjorlas. I just have to keep my attention to Enj and away from Marius.

As we continue walking, I look over and see Marius and Cosette talking. He looks over at me and winks and my heart falls to my stomach.

Oh no. This is going to be harder than I thought.


	11. Chapter 11

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 10:  
Eponine's POV:

At the end of the night, Enjolras walked me back to my house.

"Are you sure you can't spend the night at my house tonight?" he asks, eyes wide.

"Awe, I would love to, babe, but I still have to take care of Gav."

"Oh right, okay. Maybe next time," he smiles.

"Thank you for being so understanding." I smile and kiss his cheek.

My phone buzzes then. I look down at it and Marius' name flashes across my screen. My face falls and Enj notices almost immediately.

"Everything alright?" he asks. I open the message.

"Can we talk? Tonight? Tree house?"

"Oh, yeah. It's just Gavroche wondering where I am," lie #3. I can't tell him that it's Marius. He's going to suspect something.

"Yes." I text back quickly and shove my phone in the pocket of my dress. We reach my house and I know we have to say goodbye. I'm really anxious though because I know what's waiting for me in a few minutes.

"I love you so much," he says, hugging me.

"I love you, too. So, so much." He kisses me goodnight and I walk into my house. He gets in his car and drives away and as soon as I know he's gone, I run to the backyard.

"Ep!" I hear Gavroche.

"What, Gav?"

"What is going on? I thought you were going out with Marius tonight?"  
"Gavroche, there's just some things that you won't understand until you're older." I pat him on the head and try walking away, but he's not letting it go.

"I'm smarter than you think I am, Ep," he says.

"Gave, I promise I'll tell you whatever you want later, just leave me alone for right now." I say, looking out the window and seeing Marius running up the ladder to our tree house.

"Fine." He says and walks away. I go outside and quietly shut the screen door behind me. I bolt for the tree house and find Marius sitting in his beanbag chair.

"Hey," he says, getting up and running over to me.

"What the heck, dude?" I say, walking away from him.

"Me? What about you? I thought you and Enjolras were over?"

"Okay, well why do you care when you completely ditched me for your little blonde bimbo friend!" I yell, not meaning to be so mean.

"She is NOT a bimbo…she just gets excited over a lot of things."

"She is not your type," I say, walking over to him.

"Oh, and what is my type then? You?" he says, looking down on me. Ouch…I don't know if that was meant to hurt me or not.

"Don't be ridiculous." I say and I can see him getting upset. "Okay, what could you possibly be upset about now?"

"You're marrying him!" He yells.

"What business is that of yours?!" I yell back. "Why do you care? I thought you wanted me to be happy!"

"I do want you to be happy, but Enjorlas? He's not going to make you happy, Ep. He's only going to hurt you like he has for the past 2 years. You're too blind to see that, though." He says. Okay, that stung.

"I'm too blind to see that? Are you kidding me? I'm the one who has lived through the pain, Marius!" I yell up to him. This is enough. I thought he and I were going to talk things out and get our friendship back in line. Why is he doing this?

"Eponine, how can you not see it?" he leans into me. Oh no, was Gav right? Does Marius really like me?

"Um…see…see what?" I'm almost unable to form words. He's staring intently at me and I can't breathe. He's so breathtakingly beautiful that I…

No! No, Eponine. You can't. You're in love and engaged to ENJORLAS. Not Marius.

He's still staring at me. Before I have time to react, his eyes are closed and he leans in all the way, pressing his lips to mine.

So much for staying away from him.


	12. Chapter 12

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 11:

Marius' POV:

Well, she definitely is not pulling away right now. So, either she's happy I'm kissing her or she's still in complete shock. Suddenly, I feel her lips start to move against mine. I know this is wrong, but I never said I was going to play fair.

"Marius, I can't do this," she says, pushing my chest back.

"Why not? It's what I've been waiting for since we were 5 years old. Eponine, I love you. I love you with all my heart. And I have loved you. Ever since you saw Enjorlas, though-"

"Enjorlas. Crap, Marius. I can't do this. I love Enjorlas-"  
"You're settling for Enjorlas," I cut her off.

"What?" she says.

"You don't love him. I can see it," I say, scooting closer to her.

"You know nothing about Enj and me."  
"I know that today was the first time you've ever cried because he broke up with you." I say. She knows I'm right, I can see it in her eyes.

"So?"

"So, you've never cared before. Why are you marrying him now?" I ask, taking her hand. She looks away from me.

"Marius, I love you," she says and I let out a sigh of relief. "But, I love Enjolras. And he and I are getting married. Plus, don't you have a girlfriend?" she asks.

"Don't get sassy with me." I say and she laughs. "But, no. I don't think I'll be going out with Cosette anymore," I say,

"Why not?" she asks.

"Because, I need to come up with a way to get the girl of my dreams." I wink at her and then run down the ladder. I sprint back to my house (which is only a couple of houses down from hers).

I run up to my room and my mind is spinning. I kissed Eponine. I've wanted to do that for 13 years and it finally happened. She tried to make me think she didn't like it, but she did. And I know that, and I think that's why I'm so happy. She also admitted to being in love with me. So, I have a chance now. All I have to do is-

My phone buzzes and it's Cosette. I slide my finger across the screen to answer it.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

"Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for tonight. I had the best night of my life." She says. She always sounds so excited.

"Oh, yeah. You're welcome. It was a lot of fun," I answer, trying to sound excited, but I know it doesn't come off that way.

"Marius, do you not want to go out with me again?" I hear her voice change. Her cheerfulness is gone.

I don't answer for a minute. I really like this girl. I feel like Cosette and I could have a relationship. She's so cool and pretty and nice. I like her a lot. But I love Eponine, and I told her that I was going to stop seeing Cosette. Unless, unless I can make Eponine jealous by being with Cosette. That way I can get the best of both.

"That's not it at all, Cosette. I like you a lot. And I do want to go out with you again. I think that I was just thrown off by Eponine and Enjolras' little announcement today. You know, I'm their best friend and I should've known right after it happened. That's all." I lie straight through my teeth.

"Oh, well, okay!" Her cheery little voice is right back to where it should be. "That makes me feel a lot better! I thought it was something I did."  
"You're perfect, Cosette. There isn't a thing wrong with you." I say, flirting as much as I can. I hear her giggle into the phone.

Right then, my doorbell rings. Who is at my house at 9 o clock at night?

"Hey, Cosette, somebody's at my door. I'm going to go, but I'll text you in a minute." I say.

"Okay, sounds good. Bye!" she says and the line goes dead.

I slowly walk downstairs and look through the peephole of my door. Nobody's there. I open the door and see Gavroche standing there.

"Hey, Gav, what's up?"

"How could you? You hurt my sister and then you kiss her? While she's engaged?" he says.

"Gav, listen, there's a lot that you don't understand and that you won't understand until you're older-"  
"You know what, I'm sick and tired of everyone saying that to me! I'm old enough to know that my sister was crushed today. Crushed! By you! And now, you're trying to come back into her life while she's finally happy. She likes you, Marius. A lot, but now, she's taken. And you should respect that." He says. I've never seen him so heated before.

"Gav-"

"Just stay away from her. Stay away from both of us," he says and runs away. I look after him

"Gavroche!" I yell, but he's obviously ignoring me.

Well, crap. That didn't go as planned.


	13. Chapter 13

Don't Let Me Go:  
Chapter 12:

Enjolras' POV:

Ever since the engagement about a week ago, Eponine and I have been inseparable. I've never been happier in my life and I know she feels the same way.

I decided to surprise her at her house early in the morning so I could bring her breakfast. I can't wait to live with her and wake up next to her. I want to show her how much I love her.

I walk into her house, thanks to the key she gave me. Gavroche is standing in the kitchen when I walk in.

"Hey, little guy," I say, holding my hand up for a high five. He hits me back.

"What are you doing here?" He asks. "How did you get in?"

I laugh. "Your sister gave me a key. I'm going to make her breakfast. Is she still upstairs?" I ask.

"Yeah, she's still asleep. You're a good guy, Enjorlas. You're good for her," he smiles at me. I put the brown bag that I'm holding on the counter and squat down to his level.

"Well, thank you, Gav. That means a lot," I say to him.

"She needs a good guy in her life. And I know that you two haven't had the most stable relationship, but I know that she loves you, and I know that you love her. You've really shown how you feel these past couple of weeks and you're treating her the way she deserves to be treated. So, thank you. I don't want to let her go because she's all that I have, but if it's to you, I will."

"Gavroche, you've always been so smart and insightful. And I've always respected that about you and I always will. Never change."

"You really are a good guy." He smiles again and runs upstairs.

"Don't wake your sister up!" I yell after him.

I decide to make Eponine an omelet because I know it's her favorite. Whenever we'd go out for breakfast, she'd always get a bacon and cheese omelet. My mom taught me how to cook right before I moved out of the house. She didn't want me to have to waste all my money on take out, so she talk me everything she knows. I poor a glass of organic Orange Juice and make her two pieces of toast. I find a tray in the cabinet next to the stove. I place everything on the tray and quietly go upstairs. I slightly open her door and see her curled up in her bed. She's sound asleep. It kind of seems like she hasn't been sleeping. Her phone buzzes next to her and she doesn't' budge.

I walk over to her bedside table and put the tray down. I check her phone and see Marius' name pop up. I laugh and look at the message.

"Ep, please. Let's just go out tonight. Enj doesn't have to know. Call me later ;)"

My heart sinks. Eponine would not cheat on me. No, she wouldn't. I turn to look at her to make sure she's still asleep before I look at the rest of the messages.

There were a bunch from Marius saying "I love you," "Come see me," "Please pick me," etc. But nothing from Eponine. Either she deleted her messages or she didn't answer him at all. I'm hoping it's the latter. I finally find one from her that was sent at 2am this morning.

"Marius, I'm in love with Enj. How many times do I have to tell you that? I don't care what happened between us. Enj is more important to me than anyone else in the world. I'm sorry Marius, but you and I will be nothing. I'm marrying Enjorlas, and there's nothing that you can do to change that."

I smile. I'm glad to know that nothing is going to happen between Eponine and Marius. But what did she mean about she didn't care what happened between them? I sit on the edge of her bed and touch her shoulder. I gently shake her and her eyes pop open.

"Enj?" she says groggily.

"Morning," I smile wide at her and grab the tray, "I made you breakfast."

"Oh my goodness, you're amazing," she says, kissing me and grabbing the tray.

After about 10 minutes of us talking, I know I'm going to have to say something about Marius. I trust her I just need to know what's going on.

"Enjolras, there's something I need to tell you," she says, putting the tray to the side. Her eyes are wide and she looks scared out of her mind.

"What's wrong, baby?" I ask, putting my hand on her leg.

"On the night that you asked me to marry you, um, when you dropped me off?"

"Yeah?" I say, hoping this is what I want to know, but a little nervous as to what she's about to say.

"I met up with Marius in our tree house…he told me that he loves me. And then…" she trails off.

"Then?" I ask, getting anxious.

"He kissed me." I let out a breath. I knew Marius had feelings for her, but I didn't think he was actually going to act on them.

A whole flame of anger rages through me. If this was a cartoon show, steam would be coming out of my ears.

"Enj," she says, but I'm not listening to her. I get up off her bed and walk down the stairs and out the door without another word. She follows yelling my name.

"Enjorlas!" she yells, but I ignore her.

I storm over to Marius' house. This has to end. Now.


	14. Chapter 14

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 13:  
Marius' POV:

I wake up to a banging on my front door. A really, REALLY loud banging on my door. I groan, get out of bed, and pull myself down the stairs. As soon as I open it I know I'm in trouble. All of a sudden, Enjorlas' fist smacks my left cheek and I stumble to the ground. If I were more awake I would've been fine. I grab my face and see Eponine standing behind him.

"Enjolras stop!" she screams.

Enjorlas comes in, grabs me by my shirt and gets in my face.

"What is your problem?" I spit out.

"What are you doing KISSING my fiancé, huh? Who do you think you are?!" he screams at me. I push him off and stand up next to him. We spend a split second looking at each other before I tackle him to the ground.

"I never said I was going to play fair, now did I?" I say, chuckling. He has a fire in his eyes and I know this isn't going to be over fast. He tries to flip me over, and we end up wrestling a bit on the ground. I finally get to my feet and he pulls me down again and starts punching me nonstop. The pain is unbearable and I know if he doesn't stop, I'll black out soon enough.

I try to yell for him to stop, but he won't. He's relentless. I didn't know he was going to attack me. I didn't know Eponine was going to tell him.

"HOW DARE YOU!" he yells.

"Enjorlas please!" Eponine yells and runs up behind him. She's sobbing and trying to pull him off of me. He turns and looks at her.

"Are you kidding me? You're going to defend him?"  
"I don't want you to kill him!" she yells. He looks down at me, no regret or shame in his face. He slowly gets off and Eponine runs to me.

My face is throbbing. She sits down next to me and puts my head in her lap. She looks down at me and is uncontrollably sobbing.

"Eponine, are you serious right now?" he asks. This is the maddest I've ever seen him. Eponine looks scared out of her mind.

"I cannot leave him by himself. As much as you don't like it, Marius is still my best friend, no matter what." She says. If I could smile at this point, I would. Maybe I could win this after all.

I know what to do now. I just have to keep tipping Enj off. If he keeps getting mad, Eponine is not going to want to be with him anymore. Then she'll realize that I'm the right one for her.

I'm not really hearing clearly, and I certainly can't see a thing. I think I'm going in and out of consciousness, which I'm happy about because I don't want to be a part of their fight.

"All I'm saying is that if you really loved me, you wouldn't be running to his aid all the time!" he yells. I snap back into it and I realize that there's now a pillow underneath my head and Eponine is standing with Enjorlas, fighting with him.

"And all I'm saying is that if you really loved me, you wouldn't beat up my best friend!" she yells back.

"You really think he wants what's best for you, Ep? Ask him about Cosette." He says. Oh, crap. I told her I wasn't going to see Cosette anymore. She looks down at me and I immediately close my eyes, acting like I'm out again.

"Enj, can we just be reasonable about this? Please." She says.

"You want me to be reasonable about this? You want me to be reasonable about the fact that my best friend kissed my fiancé, wants to steal my fiancé, and that my fiancé is going to run to him whenever something goes wrong?! Huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm done, Ep. You need to make a decision. You're either friends with him, or you marry me." And with that, he walked out. I open my eyes and watch Eponine fall to her knees in sobs.

I want to get up and go hug her, but when I try to move, the room spins. I take one last look at Eponine before my world goes black.


	15. Chapter 15

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 14:  
Eponine's POV:

I'm not even sure as to what just happened. Now Enj wants me to choose between him and Marius? I don't know if that's possible. I'm in love with Enjorlas for sure, but I love Marius, too. Maybe if I just talk to Enj about it, he'll change his mind. I can't choose. It's not fair to either of them, and it's not fair to me.

I look down at Marius and see him trying to move. I run into his kitchen and grab an ice pack from the freezer. I come back to him, and he's managed to sit up.

"How are you?" I ask, kneeling down beside him.

"I've been better," he laughs. I can tell there's sadness in his face.

"I know you heard what Enjorlas said. But I don't want to talk about that right now. What we need to talk about is Cosette. I thought you said you were done with her?" I ask.

"I thought you were done with me. You made that pretty clear last night. Why can't I be happy?" he asks me. I put the ice pack on his eye that's now swollen.

"Because I know she doesn't make you happy," I say, looking in his eyes. Oh no. I'm getting that feeling again. I want to kiss him. I really want to kiss him. Maybe it's because he's so vulnerable right now and I'm mad at Enjorlas and all that. I feel myself starting to lean in, but stop myself when I get close to his face.

"You can kiss me if you want to," he whispers against my lips.

"I want to. I want to more than you know," I say, looking only at his lips. I'm trying to keep myself from doing anything, but I don't know if I can help myself. I don't know what this feeling is.

"I think I know," he says, slowly lifting his arm. I can tell it's a struggle for him, but he manages to put his hand on my cheek.

"Marius-" I start to say, but he stops me.

"Don't say anything. Just kiss me." He says, and presses his lips onto mine.

STOP EPONINE, STOP. I'm screaming in my head. But, I can't. I have the weirdest feeling in my stomach. I feel sick, but I don't want it to go away. It's butterflies. I've never had butterflies in my stomach before while kissing someone. Well, the only other person I've kissed is Enjorlas.

Oh no.

I pull away for a second, and he frowns.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"It's…it's-"

"Enjorlas," he says, leaning back.

"Marius, I'm engaged."  
"You can't tell me that meant absolutely nothing; that you felt absolutely nothing." He says, grabbing my hands.

I let out a breath. I don't know what to do at this point. I don't know who to choose. I thought it was Enjorlas, but Marius has been there my entire life. Enjorlas keeps breaking my heart over and over again. But, can I trust Marius? He's still with Cosette, and Enj only wants me. I know that for a fact. Oh gosh, I've never had to make a decision this hard before in my entire life.

"Ep," he says, snapping me back to him.

I look at him, every amazing and loving feeling flooding me again. I grab his shoulders and pull him back in and kiss him again. The kiss drowns out every feeling of guilt I have about this, but I know I'm going to have to face the music soon enough.

I feel Marius smiling into the kiss. He barely pulls back to whisper, "Please, don't let me go."

He brings me back in. I want to cry so badly. I don't want to lose him, and I don't want to lose Enjolras. What on earth am I going to do?


	16. Chapter 16

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 15:  
Cosette's POV:

"Cosette!" I hear my father calling from downstairs.

"Coming, papa!" I yell back to him. I fold the note Marius gave to me the other night and put it back on my desk. I run down the stairs to find him sitting on a stool in the kitchen.  
"Cosette, have you sent in all your paperwork for Berklee like you promised you would?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Oh, darn it, I'm sorry Papa, I've just been a little preoccupied," I answer.

"Yes, I know, with this Mario fella right?" he asks. I quietly let out a giggle.

"It's Marius, Papa." I say, smiling.

"Ah, right. Well, Cosette, school comes first. You have such an incredible talent, and your mom would be so proud of you," he gets up on walks over to me. He puts his arm around me and looks down at me, "You can't let your talent go to waste. When school starts back up, all of your attention has to be towards it. You can still be with Marius all you want, as long as you put your studies first." He says.

"Yes, sir, I understand." I say, looking up at him. He kisses me on the top of my head. "Can I go for a walk?"

"You want company?" he asks, smiling.  
"That's okay, papa, isn't your game on anyway?"

"Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me, sweetie. Take your phone and be safe," he says and walks out of the room.

I grab my coat and walk out of the house. Thankfully, the snow has stopped falling, so it's not terribly cold. Nobody's outside, so the walk is nice.

I can't stop thinking about Marius. He's the best guy I think I've ever met. I know I've only known him for a week, but we've been out almost every week. He seems to really like me and I know I really like him. I think that he's going to be my first real relationship. My father has never really liked the idea of me dating anybody. But, I'm 18 now, I'm in college, and I think it's time that I finally start dating.

I've been walking for about 5 minutes and I see a familiar face walking toward me.

"Enjorlas?" I say. He snaps his head up and looks at me. His eyes are bloodshot and his face is red. He looks like he's been crying.  
"Cosette, um…hey," he says, clearing his throat.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, putting my arm on his shoulder. He looks down.

"I…um…I think Eponine and I are fighting. I just…wait. You're dating Marius, right?" he asks, looking back up at me.

"Well, we're not official or anything, but we are dating, yes. Why?" I ask. Now I'm confused.

"I just…I think there's something going on between Ep and him." He says, choking back tears again.

"Between Marius and Eponine? I doubt that. They've been best friends since forever. And you and Eponine are engaged. That would be shady," I say, trying not to believe that this is happening.

"How old are you, Cosette?" Enjorlas asks me.

"I'm 18."

"How many relationships have you been in?"  
I look away, "My dad doesn't like me dating."

"That explains a lot," he says, nodding his head. "Look, Cosette. Eponine and I have gotten into fight after fight. But I love her, a lot. I think Marius does too."  
"Why, because they're close friends?" I ask, not understanding still.

"No because….well…" he trails off.

"Enjorlas? You know something. What is it? Tell me, please!" I say, grabbing his arm and pulling a little.  
"Ha, you are like a little puppy," he winks.

"Seriously, though. Tell me, I can handle it."

"Marius kissed Eponine." He says without missing a beat.

Okay, maybe I couldn't handle that.  
"He…he what?"


	17. Chapter 17

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 16:  
Marius' POV:

My phone starts ringing. Of course. Eponine pulls away from me and frowns.

"Who is it?"

I look and Cosette's name flashes across the screen.

"It's no one," I say and pull her back to me.

"Marius," she says looking down, "maybe you should answer it. Don't want her to suspect anything."

I roll my eyes and swipe the answer icon on my phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. What are you up to?" she says into the phone. She sounds different. Not as chipper as usual.

"Oh, just sitting, watching TV. What about you? Is everything okay?" I ask.

"Everything's perfectly fine, babe. Why do you ask?"

"Well, number one, you're calling me babe, which you never have before. And I don't know, you sound different is all." I answer, looking at Eponine. She's giving me a confused look.

"Oh, well, I just had a question to ask you," she says.

"Yeah, what's going on?" I ask, heaving myself off the couch. I pace the living room. It's a bad habit that I have when I get nervous.

"Well, I ran into Enjolras today," she says and I freeze. Oh gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I'm dead. Enjorlas is so mad at me, I have no idea what he told Cosette…

"Mar?" Eponine whispers, getting up and walking over to me. Her eyes are full of concern. My eyes are as wide as can be. I'm terrified for what she's about to say next.

"He said you took a pretty bad stumble down the stairs. I want to come see you, I'm on my way right now." She says. I let out a sigh of relief, but tense right back up when I realize that she's coming over and Eponine is here. Eponine and I have been kissing nonstop since Enj left and we definitely look like it. The couch does too. There's no way she could stay here and Cosette not suspect anything.

"Oh, no, Cosette, I'm fine. Really. You don't need to come over," I say frantically. Eponine's eyes go wide and she starts running around trying to clean up.

"It's not worth it, just leave!" I whisper to her.

"I'm walking up your steps right now, sweetie. I can't exactly go home, I want to make sure you're okay. Enj said that when he talked to you, you sounded pretty beat up." She says, sounding concerned. This is all Enjolras' fault…gosh I'm in for it.

"Closet! Get in the closet!" I whisper and plop myself back on the couch.

"Can I come in?" she asks.

"Yeah, just come in. I'm too injured to get up off the couch." I say, coughing.

As the door clicks open, I hear my closet door click shut. Thank the Lord that Eponine is as cool as she is.

"Babe?" I hear Cosette's little voice say as she walks through the door. She walks into the living room and looks at me. A wave of horror comes over her face. "You look awful."

"Oh, thanks," I say and chuckle. My heart is beating so fast. I'm out of breath and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

She kneels next to me, looking in my eyes. "You know, we've only been dating for a week, but I feel like I'm falling for you. I want to know if you're feeling the same way." She says, her eyes wide.

"I am," I say without skipping a beat. Eponine quickly finds her way to my mind. I know I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do. Her face falls.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Are you sure? Are you sure that it's me that you're falling for?" she says, starting to stand up.

"Who else would it be?" I ask, sitting up, trying not to sound nervous.

"Oh, I don't know, why don't you tell Eponine to get out of the closet and we can ask her!" she yells, pointing at the closet door.

Oh no, I'm dead.


	18. Chapter 18

Don't Let Me Go:  
Chapter 17:

Eponine's POV:

Oh no. I hear footsteps coming to the door and I hold my breath. She swings the door open and she looks at me in disgust. She walks away to the door.

"Cosette, wait!" Marius yells as he runs to the door. He steps in front of her to stop her. She crosses her arms.

"What?" she asks, clearly not wanting to hear what he has to say. I make my way out of the closet and run over to them.

"Cosette, look, Marius and I didn't mean for this to happen. It was just today!" I say, trying to calm her down.

"What? Have you guys been making out all day?" she asks. Marius and I look at each other. "Of course. Okay, look, I know you guys think I'm this sweet little innocent girl. And yeah, maybe I've never had a boyfriend before, but that doesn't mean you can cheat on me because I may be a little naïve!"

"We're not dating!" I yell back to her. "I would never EVER cheat on Enjorlas. That's not the kind of person I am-"  
"Then what were you doing today?!" she yells.

"Cosette, Eponine and I are not dating. You really think that I would do that to you?" he asks, putting his hand on her arm. She looks up at him.

"I don't know what to believe now," she says, looking at the ground.

"Cosette," he says, trying to pull her into a hug, but she's resisting.

"Do you have feelings for each other?"

Again, he and I look at each other.

"Do you?!" she asks again.

"Cosette, listen to me, please. I've known Eponine my entire life. And yeah, maybe there are some feelings there for her. I don't know if those are ever going to go away. But, the first day I saw you, I knew I wanted to be with you. I know that there is absolutely nobody else that I want to be with than you. I'm sorry that I've caused you all of this. I want to get to know everything about you. I want to fall in love with you. Please, don't leave me." Marius says. Boy, does that sound familiar.

I can feel the tears start forming in my eyes. I thought that Marius actually cared about me. What am I supposed to do now? Enjorlas is never going to want to talk to me again.

"You know what, Marius, I can't do this right now. I want to love you. I really do. But right now, I don't trust you. And I don't know if I'm going to be able to. I'm sorry." She says, pushing his hand off of her. She turns to me. "Eponine, I hope you and I can get through this. I like you and I do want to be friends with you. I just think you really need to make a decision right now. And you know what I'm talking about."

She looks at Marius and walks out. Marius looks down with tears in his eyes. I grab my coat and start for the door.

"Ep, where are you going?" he asks, grabbing my arm. The tears are coming so fast and I don't want to even look at him. I turn and look at him.

"I'm sorry. Whatever this is, is over." I say,

"Did you just choose?" he asks, his voice cracking.

"I didn't have to," I say and yank my arm back from him. I storm out of the house and know exactly what I have to do.

I walk 4 blocks to Enjorlas' apartment. I bang on the door. It opens almost immediately and Enjorlas appears. He smiles as soon as he sees me.

"Ep," he says, pulling me into a hug. He lets go and looks at me. "What's wrong?"

"I love you, Enj. I really do. I want you to know that I'm done with Marius. He's not good for me, and I know that. And I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. You don't deserve it," I say, looking down at the ring on my finger.

"Well, that's a good thing right?" he asks. I look up at him, smiling.

"You're a great guy, and you're going to find someone really, really great for you-"  
"Eponine, stop. Don't do this," he says, touching my arm. I slowly take the ring off my finger.

"I'm just hurting you over and over again. And I don't want to do that anymore. I hate myself for hurting you. You deserve so much better than me."

"Eponine," he says and I put the ring in his hand.

"I love you." I say.

"This isn't because of Marius?" he asks.

"No, this is my decision. I'm done hurting you. I'm done hurting me. I'm sorry." I say and run down the stairs. I don't stop running until I reach my house. I don't know if I'm ever going to be okay again.


	19. Chapter 19

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 18:

Eponine's POV:

It's been 3 weeks since I've had any contact with either Enjorlas or Marius. I'm still so broken, but I'm trying to hide it from my family. When my parents came back, they asked me about Enjorlas. I told them we had broken up for good and that it was mutual.

Enjorlas tried to contact me the week after. I just couldn't answer him and then he stopped. I want to be done with both of them. Marius, on the other hand, has done a very good job of staying away from me.

I spend most days in my room now, I don't have any motivation to get up or go out. I'm laying down on my bed when I hear a knock on my door.

"Who's there?" I ask.

"Your favorite 2 guys in the whole world," I hear a voice say. I smile as the door opens and I see my dad and Gavroche come in.

"How are you, sweetie?" Dad asks me.

"I'm alright."

"Ep, come on." Gav says, nudging me.

"I mean, I lost my best friend and my boyfriend in the same day. How am I supposed to be feeling?" I ask.

"Eponine, that was 3 weeks ago. You need to get back out there and have some fun!" Gav says, smiling widely at me.

"I know, I just feel alone, Gav," I say, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"You're not alone, Eponine. We are always, always here for you. You just have to talk to us about it," dad says, putting his arm around me.

"Us?" I ask.

"Ep, I know your mother hasn't really been there for you. But, she wants to help. She wants to be a mom to you, she just doesn't know how." He says.

"Oh, I know that," I laugh. He laughs back and lightly shoves me back.

"Just know you've got Gav and me. Always," he smiles.

"Dad, can I have a minute alone with my sister?" Gav asks dad giving his puppy dog eyes.

"Sure thing, bud," he smiles. He gets up and kisses me on my head, "love you."

"Love you, too," I smile back. He shuts the door behind him and Gavroche looks up at me.

"What's the deal?" he asks, almost immediately.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"We haven't talked about any of this. Why did you break it off with Enjorlas?" he asks, getting really excited.

"It was mutual!" I say, but by the way he's looking at me, I know he knows it's not true.

"We both know that's not true. Please tell me what happened!" he begs. I sigh.

"Fine. I kissed Marius." His mouth drops open. "And I told Enj about it, Enj went and beat up Marius, then made me choose between the two of them. He and I kissed again, and then Cosette came and almost killed us both. But she and I are still friends…I think. And then she broke up with him, I told Marius I didn't want to be around him because it wasn't right, and then I went to Enjorlas. He was happy to see me, but I ended things because I knew that we weren't good for each other. And that's everything. Now, I don't talk to either of them," I explain.

"But you're not happy at all," he says.

"Yeah, but I'll get over it. Everything happens for a reason and everything will work itself out. I'm a firm believer in that." I smile at him. He still looks confused. "What?"  
"I like Enjorlas. I think he's good for you."

"He's too good for me," I answer. He looks down. Suddenly, he snaps his head back up and smiles.

"Let's go for a walk. We can go anywhere you want, I just want you out of the house! Please!" he says, now giving me the puppy dog eyes.

"Gav," I start, but he starts pouting his lips, "Fine! Let's go on a walk." I say, getting out of bed. I run to the bathroom and get ready in less than five minutes.

I forgot how much I love spending time with Gavroche. It's so nice to be out and about. The snow is almost gone and the sun is actually out. Everyone who is in school is already back at school. Marius goes to community college and Enjorlas is already graduated. I couldn't afford college, so I stay at home to take care of Gavroche. Which I love doing.

Gav and I walk and talk for the longest time. He's the coolest little kid I know.

We walk by the park and I know for sure I don't want to go in there. Too many memories.

"Hey, how about we go and get some ice cream," I say to him.

"Yeah! Let's do that!" he yelps, getting really excited.

As we pass by, I look at the entrance and see something I didn't know I dreaded to see until now.

Cosette. Enjorlas. Holding hands. Together.

What in the world?


	20. Chapter 20

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 19:

Marius' POV:

This last month has been way too stressful. I lost maybe my only chance with Eponine and Cosette won't talk to me. I'm afraid to contact Eponine. She's probably spending every minute she can with Enjorlas planning the wedding. I can't bring myself to be happy for them…I haven't even talked to them since the whole incident. I lost my two best friends in the whole world. And they're happy together. I'm just so mad at myself.

I decide that I need to clear my mind. I've been by myself for a while and I think I'm going crazy. I'm usually at Ep's house hanging out with either her or Gavroche…but he's still really mad at me, too. I didn't know that Eponine was ever going to have feelings for me, that's why I went after Cosette. I was lonely. And then, when I almost lost Cosette…I don't even know what came over me. I should've stuck up for Eponine, I should've told Cosette that I was in love with Eponine. I should have never gone out with Cosette. I regret every decision that I've made. Except for kissing Eponine.

When she and I kissed, it felt like fireworks. I know in my heart she's the one for me. I'm just too afraid to talk to her. I know she does not want to hear from me or see me. I guess I have to except the fact that she's with Enjorlas and there's nothing I can do about it.

I walk past a coffee shop and hear my name being called.

"Marius!" I turn to see my friend Coufeyrac coming towards me. I smile and walk over to meet him.

"Hey, Couf, what's up?" I ask.

"Just hanging out and getting coffee. What about you? I haven't seen or heard from you in forever." He says, nudging my shoulder. I laugh.

"Yeah, I've kind of been sticking to myself for the past couple of weeks."

"Ah, well it's good to see you. You wanna walk?" he asks, pointing to the street.  
"Sure," I say and we start walking.

Coufeyrac and I used to work at the ABC Café together about 2 years ago. We are in the same group of friends, but we've never been particularly close. In the past, I usually just stayed by Eponine and Enjorlas' side. Gosh, I pretty much set them up. I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot.

"So, how is everything? How are Eponine and Gavroche doing?" he asks. Of course.

"I don't know. Ep and I haven't really talked in the past could of weeks. Like I said, I've been sticking to myself. But I hear she's getting married to Enjorlas," I say, trying to sound as happy as I can.

"Wait, you guys haven't talked? Aren't you two like…inseparable? You have been since I met you," he says with a confused look on his face.

"I guess things just change," I say, looking down.  
"Wait, Enjorlas isn't getting married." He says. I snap my head back up and look at him.

"What?" I ask.

"I talked to him the other day; he's not even with Eponine anymore. He's with some blonde chick now."

"WHAT?" I ask, totally caught off guard. He looks at me with a frown on his face.

"Why are you so upset about this?" he asks. I turn away. I can't believe this is happening. I stop dead in my tracks when we get to the park. There's Enjorlas, almost as if on cue, standing with Cosette, holding her hand. And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, he kisses her. Right on the lips! I feel anger inside of me. I want to punch him, but I saw how that worked out for him last time. I look across from me and see Eponine standing with Gavroche. Her mouth is wide open as she looks at Enjolras and Cosette. She's obviously just as shocked as I am. My mind isn't even processing what's going on. I turn to Coufeyrac to tell him I want to turn around, but when I turn to him, I see his eyes are glued to something in front of us.

Eponine.

"Couf?" I ask, shaking him.

"Is that Eponine?" he asks, still looking.

"Yeah…" I say, confused as to what he's seeing.

"Wow, she looks…she's…I guess because I haven't seen her in a year, I forgot what she looks like."

When Couf met Eponine, she was a total tomboy. She never cared what anybody thought. Then the fights with Enjolras started and she changed her appearance completely. She started wearing make-up and wearing dresses ALL the time. I liked the way she used to look, but I wasn't opposed to any of it. I stopped working at the ABC Café last year, and Eponine stopped hanging out with the guys when I did. So, yeah, to Coufeyrac, she's changed a lot.

He's completely drooling over her. After a minute, he whispers "She's beautiful."

Oh no, here we go.


	21. Chapter 21

Don't Let Me Go:  
Chapter 20:

Courfeyrac's POV: 

"Courf! This isn't a good idea! She's getting over a break up and, and," Marius says as I start walking toward her.

"And what?" I ask, clearly not understanding what's been going on. He's very vague when he describes situations.

"And I can't go over there," he says, yanking me back to him.

"Dude, seriously. I know you have a thing for her. We all know, it's not that big of a secret. But, if she wanted you, she would've went after you." I say. He takes a step back and looks at the ground. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be harsh. But, maybe it's time to move on. Meet other people."

I turn back around and walk over to Eponine and her little brother.

"Eponine? Eponine Thenardier?" I say as I get up to them.

"Courfeyrac?" she says. A smile instantly finds its way to her face and she throws her arms around me.

"Long time no see," I say, releasing her.

"I know! So, what's up with you?" she asks.

"Same old, same old. What about you? You look gorgeous." I say, trying to hint towards her that I'm flirting. She blushes and turns her head away.

"Oh, you know, taking care of this little kid." She says, grabbing her brother.

"Gavroche, right?" I say, kneeling down to his level.

"Yup, and you're-?"

"Courfeyrac. I'm a friend of your sister's," I smile.

"Nice to meet you, Courfeyrac." He says, shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Gavroche," I smile and stand back up.

"So, Eponine, I was wondering…you know if you're not busy…maybe you and I can-"  
"Courf!" I hear Marius behind me. I turn around and give him a hard look. He ignores me and walks up to us. "Hey, guys," he says, but both Eponine and Gavroche just stare at him. They're obviously not happy to see him.

"Courfeyrac, what were you going to ask me?" she says, touching my arm. She's still smiling. I think my comment hit it off for her.

"Oh, right. How about tomorrow night, I take you to dinner? We can go wherever you want." I ask, smiling. Her smile gets even bigger, if that's possible.

"Why all of a sudden," she asks, crossing her arms. She's still smiling, so I know it's going to be a yes. I've done this plenty of times, so I know how to play this off.

"You're absolutely gorgeous. Even when you used to dress like a tomboy, I know none of the guys were able to take their eyes off of you, including this kid," I say patting Marius on the back. His face goes red in an instant and she and Gavroche are both suppressing laughter. "You're also probably the coolest girl I've ever met. From what I recall, you're pretty awesome at Mario Kart and beat all of us on one of our game nights." She chuckles and grabs Gavroche.

"Well, I did learn from the best," she says laughing. He smiles widely. I high five him and turn back to Eponine.

"Maybe after our date tomorrow, I could get a rematch," I say and wink. She giggles and looks down at Gavroche. He nods. Marius looks like he's about to throw up.

"Sounds like a challenge, and I love challenges," she says, putting on her tough guy act. I laugh and she blushes again. "Alright, it's a date. I'll meet you here at 6?" she says.

"Sounds perfect," I say. She hugs me. When she lets go, her eyes wander over to the park and she stares over there for a couple of seconds before Gavroche pulls on her arm. She snaps her head back to him, and waves as she walks off. I feel very satisfied, but Marius doesn't look too happy.  
"What?" I ask him.

"Seriously? You know I have a thing for her," he says.

"Yeah, but she doesn't want you. Obviously she wants me. Plus, she didn't look too happy when you walked over. Tension?" I ask, laughing.

"What happened to you, Courf?" he asks. "You used to be so easy to talk to and not as flirty as you just were."

"People change, Marius." I say and start to walk away.

Before I'm gone from the park, I see Enjorlas holding the blond girl's hand. They're both staring at Marius and they don't look too happy either. What could've happened between them all?


	22. Chapter 22

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 21:  
Enjorlas' POV:

"Do you think they're onto us?" Cosette asks, looking back at me. I pull her closer to me and hold her by her hips.

"Well, they definitely know we're together. They were both here, and they were both staring."

"Are we doing the right thing?" she asks. She's starting to feel bad of course. I kiss her softly on her lips. "And are you sure that's okay to do? Especially with him standing over there?"  
"You've never done this before, have you?" I ask, laughing.

"No. I've never had a boyfriend before, remember?" she says.

"Right. Trust me, this won't be a big deal. I know you want Marius back, and I want Eponine back. We have to make them jealous." I say.

Okay, so there's the truth. Cosette and I don't really have feelings for each other. After she broke up with Marius and Eponine broke up with me, we started hanging out. It turns out we actually have a lot in common. And then, I came up with the plan to get them both back. Knowing them, jealously is the only thing that'll work. I might be an awful person for this, but as long as I end up with the love of my life, it'll all be fine.

"What if it doesn't work?" she says.  
"Will you relax? They've seen us now. It's going to drive them nuts. They're going to have to contact one of us to see what's going on. I know both of them so well. Everything is going to go as planned. Now that they've seen us, it's only a matter of time," I say. I see Marius looking at us again, so I kiss her nose. She giggles and then turns her back to him so he can't see her.

"Are you still talking to Eponine?" I ask her.

"We have been talking, yes."

"And has she said anything about me?" I ask. I turn to look at Marius again, but he's gone. I'm kind of scared he might come beat me up this time, but I probably deserve whatever's coming for me.

"No. She hasn't mentioned your name. All she said is that she likes being able to stay at home now all the time to take care of Gavroche. Her parents are apparently never home. And she doesn't have the best relationship with her mom. Oh, who was that guy that was talking to her?" she asks.

"Oh, that? That was Courfeyrac. They were acquaintances about a year ago. I saw him walking in with Marius. I guess they were just saying hi," I say. Cosette's phone beeps and she looks down and laughs.

"I don't think they were just saying hi, Enj."

"What? Why do you think that?" I say, getting nervous.

"'Hey Cosette, just wanted to see how you were. Maybe we can meet up soon and hang out. Also wanted to let you know that I have a date tomorrow night. I'll call you later to give you details.'" She reads off of her phone. I freeze. Courf did NOT ask her on a date.

"Are you kidding me?!" I say, grabbing her phone and looking at the message. "Oh, I'm going to kill him."

"Hey," she says, grabbing my arm, "remember how well that worked last time? Yeah, it didn't. And didn't you tell all your friends that you're dating me now?"

"Yeah, but that was in case-"

"In case Marius or Eponine asked about us, I know, I know. But, if he was one of the friends you told, that means that she's 'on the market.' And I mean let's face it, Eponine's hot." She says, shrugging.  
"Well, yeah, but what's your point?" I ask, getting frustrated.

"My point is that nothing is going to stop them from asking her out unless she has a boyfriend. Now that she's single, I'm sure she's going to be going on dates all the time. If you want me to start talking about you to her-"

"YES!" I almost shout. She clasps her hand over my mouth and shushes me.

"Fine. I'll see what I can do. We can't force this on them. And what am I supposed to do about Marius?" she asks, crossing her arms.

"Marius is the jealous type. He's going to come running without you even asking him to. Trust me; he's probably planning some way to get you back right now. And I'm hoping that way does not include fighting me." I say. I'm honestly nervous about that.

She kisses me on the cheek, "I won't let that happen. Now, I'm going to call Eponine and go over her house. I'll see what I can do," she says and skips away.

My heart is racing. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. My phone buzzes and Marius' name pops up on my screen. I open the message and see the 4 words I've been dreading the most:

"We need to talk."


	23. Chapter 23

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 22:

Cosette's POV:

I end up going over to Eponine's house. She said she wants to talk. I'm hoping it's just about her date. I really don't want to talk about Enjorlas and me. But, I know that's most likely going to come up.

I get to her house at about 7pm and ring the doorbell. Her little brother answers the door.

"Hey, Gavroche. Is your sister home?" I ask, smiling at him.  
"Yeah, she's upstairs. You know where her room is, right?" he asks, letting me in.  
"I do, thanks bud," I say, patting his head.

I run up the stairs and knock on her door.

"Come in!" I hear her say. I open the door and she's sitting on her bed, smiling.

"Hey," I say closing the door.

"Okay, so you want to hear about today?" she asks, patting her bed. I sit down next to her.

"Of course, I do," I say.

"So, I went on a walk with Gav because he wanted me to get out of the house. Well, I ran into an old friend and he over complimented me and then asked me out!" she says and genuinely looks excited.

"Well, that's great! So you like this guy?" I ask, praying that she doesn't bring up Enjorlas.

"I mean, I don't know. He seems like a really great guy…but…he was with Marius today. I don't know how close they are and I don't want to get into anything again," she explains.

"Not every guy is like Marius," I say, trying to hide my feelings for Marius. She looks at me intently. Oh no, she knows something. Or she's going to-

"Cosette, let's just say it. I know you're dating Enjorlas. And it's okay. I'm the one that ended it with him. Yeah, I miss him and I probably won't be able to be around him for a while, but I'm okay. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide it from me, or anything, for that matter. Like you said, I want to be close friends with you and I feel like we're closer than ever. Just promise that you won't keep any secrets from me?" she says. I suck in a breath. How am I going to bring up Enjorlas now?

"Of course. But you have to promise the same thing," I say.

"I promise."

"So, you miss Enjorlas?" I ask, getting off her bed and looking around her room.

"Do you really want to talk about this?" she asks.

"Hey, if I'm going to be your new best friend, we can talk about you missing your ex-boyfriend, even if he is my new boyfriend," I say easily. I'm awful at lying, and I'm hoping that she can't see through me.

"Yeah, I miss him. I mean, he was my fiancé. But, I was the one who ended it because I knew I wasn't right for him and I knew I had to let him go so he could find real happiness. And now he has. And even though it's really hard to see you guys together, especially when someone didn't tell me about it," she darts her eyes at me and I quickly hide my face. She chuckles as she continues, "I know that this is for the best."

I look down and immediately feel awful. I took the love of her life from her so I could get Marius back. But then another question pops into my head.

"What about Marius? How are you guys?"

"We're nothing. I haven't talked to him since that day that…" she trails off.

"Seriously? That was the last time you two talked?" I ask, surprised.

"Cosette, I'm really, truly so sorry about that. I don't know what-"

"It's okay, Ep. I'm over it," I say, turning to her.

"Obviously," she says, chuckling. I laugh too.  
"So no feelings for anyone?" I ask, plopping back down on her bed.

"Why are you so interested in this?"

"I was just hoping for some juicy gossip!" I say, laughing.

"What about Courf and me?" she says, hitting my shoulder.

"Oh, right, we have to find something for you to wear!" I say, going over to her closet. Just then, my phone buzzes. It's a text from Enjorlas.

"Just talked to Marius, we have a problem."

I gulp. When is anything ever going to go right?


	24. Chapter 24

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 23:

Enjorlas' POV:

"You can't be serious right now! Marius, come on!" I say, grabbing his shoulders and turning him back towards me. I have my phone in my hand waiting for Cosette to text me back.

"Enj, why do you care?" he asks, throwing my hands off of him.

"Maybe because I'm your best friend?" I say, trying to keep up with him. We're at his house, but he keeps moving from room to room. He paces when he's nervous, but I've never seen him like this.

"Enjorlas, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I'm an adult, I can take care of myself." He says, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the counter stool.  
"You're 18, Mar." I say, sitting down next to him.

"I've been living on my own since I was 16. Next?" he says, get mad at me.

"Then why do you want to move?" he snaps his head up at me.

"There's nothing here for me. Eponine was my world, and then you took her from me. When I finally thought I had her, you took her again. And then I meet another really cool girl, and you took her. Now, Courfeyrac's taking her out and once again, I'm alone. I mean nothing to absolutely nobody." He says, putting his head on the counter.

"Okay, don't say that." I say, biting my lip. It's taking everything I have in me not to tell him the truth. I want to tell him that Cosette still likes him.

"You know, I didn't even like Cosette." He says.

That takes me off guard. Really off guard. "Um, what?"

"I was so bummed out about Eponine only thinking of me as a friend the day you broke up with her that…I don't know, I guess seeing a girl have interest in me got me excited. I went out with her and had a really good time, but I couldn't see her as anything more than a friend. It's Eponine and it's always been Eponine. But I screwed that one up because I wanted the best of both worlds. I wanted Eponine for everything she had, but I wanted to feel loved back. I tried desperately to keep Cosette around, but it chased both of them away. And now, you're dating Cosette. And I'm happy for you, man. I am. I just…I don't know. Cosette is great. She really is, she's just not the dating type." He finishes. Something stirs inside me. She's not the dating type?  
"How could you say that about Cosette? She's the sweetest person I've ever met. She's caring, she's funny and she's gorgeous. Just because you're still hung up over Eponine like every other sad, pathetic guy in this town, you're going to dis Cosette? She's an incredible girl. She and I have had so much fun the past 3 weeks. More fun than I had with Eponine in the two years I was with her. And you have the nerve to say she's not the dating type?" I say without thinking. Wait a second…no, no, no, I'm supposed to be getting Marius back into liking Cosette and I'm supposed to get Eponine back. Why did I just defend Cosette like that?  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to 'dis' your girlfriend. But that's why you're dating her and I'm not," he says, waving it off.

"You asked her out for a reason, didn't you? It wasn't just because some pretty girl walked by you and showed a little interest. And then you tried to make her stay. How can you not see in her what I see in her?"

"Why are you trying to get me to like you girlfriend?" he asks, looking at me. Oh, crap. I didn't think about that one.

"I'm just saying, maybe you should've given her more of a chance. None of this would've happened if you had just stuck with her and not kissed Eponine."

"Oh, so now this is my fault?" he says. Oh, he's not being serious right now.

"You didn't realize what a great girl you had. Cosette's amazing."

I know I'm supposed to be acting right now…but I feel something shifting in me. I wasn't even thinking about what I said about Cosette, it just kind of came out. I must sound real cheesy to Marius, but….but I think I'm feeling something. I look down at my phone and see Cosette's calling me. My heart starts racing really, really fast. It's never done that before when Eponine would call me…or even when Cosette called me before. What is going on with me?

"Please, don't make a decision before I can talk you out of it." I say, trying to hurry up and get out.

"I won't. Let's meet at the park tomorrow, say 7?" he asks, sounding sly, but I ignore it.

"Sounds good, bye!" I say and run out of his house.

"Hello?" I answer the phone.

"I just left Eponine's. What happened? Why do we have a problem?" she asks. I should tell her Marius wants to move. I should tell her that he has no feelings for her. But that's going to make her want him more, and right now, that's the last thing I want.  
"Nothing. I fixed it. I'm on my way home now, but I'll call you later, okay?" I say, out of breath from my heart beating so loud and so fast.  
"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Perfect," I say. My voice hitches at the end, but thankfully she ignores it.  
"Okay, bye." She says and hangs up the phone. I can't wipe the smile off of my face.

Am I falling for Cosette?


	25. Chapter 25

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 24:

Eponine's POV:

I wake up the next morning feeling sicker than ever. I know I don't want to go on this date tonight, but I need to get over Marius and Enjorlas. Do I think there's anything between Courfeyrac and me? No, of course not. But, I know that I need to start dating if I want to get over those two. How do they have such a pull on me? I just have to keep telling myself: Marius is no good for me and I'm no good for Enjorlas.

I get up and put on Marius' sweatshirt. I know, I know. But, he left it over here and I wear it all the time. It's just become a comfort thing for me. I walk downstairs and hear Gavroche's voice.

"I thought I told you to stay away from both of us," he says.  
"Gav, come on." Marius' voice rings through my head. How long has it been that I've wanted to hear his voice. I miss it. I miss him.

No! I snap myself out of it. If I'm going to miss anyone it should be Enjorlas.

"Seeing you yesterday was enough for Ep. She has a date tonight-"

"Yeah, I know," he cuts him off, sounding sad. Does he miss me?

"Marius, maybe you should just leave. Neither of you are going to happy if you keep holding on to each other," Gav says. Dang, when did he become so emotionally involved in everything? And mature?

"Gav," I say, softly. I walk down the stairs and Marius looks up at me. He looks relieved and nervous at the same time. "Let me talk to him," I say, reaching the bottom of the steps. He motions me down to him. I kneel down beside him and put my ear to him.

"If you need me to kick some butt, just yell," he says. I pull away and smile at him. I hold my hand up and he smacks it and runs off. I stand up straight and look at Marius.

"Hey," he says, trying to hide the fear on his face.

"What do you want Marius?" I ask, putting my hand on the door.

"Eponine, I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry I lied to you. I'm sorry for everything. I talked to Enjorlas yesterday and he made me realize how much I've hurt you and how much I miss you." He starts off. I start to feel bad. I hate when people feel bad for me. "And, I know that needs to stop. I know you need to move on, and so do I. Gavroche doesn't want me talking to you and I know you don't want me around. And since there's nothing left for me here, I've decided that I'm going to move out of state." He finishes. My mouth drops open. I was not expecting this. I'm thrown way off guard and try to get my thoughts straight.

"You're…you're leaving? We're not going to work through this like we always do?" I ask, trying not to panic. I figured that Marius and I would be fine in a couple of weeks.

"This isn't just a stupid fight we got into, Ep. I'm in love with you. I don't think I can love anybody else. But I can't make you love me back. I know I need to get out of here so we can both move on. It's the only way," he says, looking away.

I touch his hand, "It's not the only way." I say. He looks at me.

"I can't be in pain anymore. I need to do something for me. There's nothing that'll stop me this time."

"Marius," I say and he lets go of me. "You can't leave me. We've been best friends for longer than I can remember."  
"I don't know how much longer I can do that," he says and I see a tear fall down his face.

"Do what? Be my friend?" I ask, trying to hold the tears in myself.

"I'm sorry, Eponine. It's for the best. I'm moving this weekend. I already have an apartment picked out in DC. I'm sorry, but this is the only way I'm going to be happy. You too," he says.

"Marius, don't," I say, but I can tell he's not going to listen to me.

"I'm sorry," he says and leaves. Once he leaves, the tears come automatically. I thought I was done with him, but…I think I'm in love with him.

Why didn't I tell him? I might have lost him forever.

Or maybe not.


	26. Chapter 26

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 25:  
Enjorlas' POV:

My fingers are hovering over my phone. It's sitting in my hands and I have a blank message staring at me. I have never been this nervous about contacting anyone, especially Cosette. I keep looking at my phone waiting for the words to come to me. Nothing. I'm completely blank.

My phone buzzes and I jump. Eponine's calling. I quickly press answer and hold the phone to my ear.

"Eponine?" I say.

"Hey," she says. She sounds upset.

"What's wrong?" I ask a little too quickly. I hear her giggle.

"Gosh, you know me so well. Enjorlas, you know I love you, right?" she says. My heart stops.

"I…I, well…I-" I stutter. She laughs again and I try my hardest to relax.

"We've been together for 2 years. You know I'm always going to love you, no matter what circumstances we're under. Even when you're dating my best friend," she says. My eyes go wide, realizing that this isn't about me.

"Okay, so what is this about?" I ask, getting up and pacing my kitchen.

"Marius said he's moving."

"I know," I say. She lets out a breath.

"He says there's nothing for him here." She says.

"I know," I answer again.

"How could you not have talked him out of it?" she asks, sounding more upset.

"You really love him, don't you?" I ask.

"You're not going to punch him again, are you?" she asks and I laugh.

"No, that won't be necessary this time. And I tried. I'm meeting up with him tonight at the park. I think 6?"

"6? At the park?" she asks, confused.

"Yeah, why?"

"That's what time I'm meeting Courfeyrac," she answers.

"Does he know that?" I ask, getting really concerned for Marius.

"Yeah, he was standing right there when he asked me. Honestly, I think that's the whole reason I said yes. I don't know, I just want to get back at Marius. But, I love him so much, and the last thing I want is for him to move out of state. I don't know if I can handle that."

"So, you don't like Courfeyrac?" I ask, trying not to laugh.

"Get that smirk off your face, smart guy." I end up laughing at the fact that she knows me almost too well. "And no, I don't. I love Marius." She says. I sigh. "What?"

"You need to tell Courfeyrac that. BEFORE you go on this date," I answer.

"I don't want to hurt his feelings." She says. I chuckle.

"Don't worry about that. He goes from girl to girl using the same cheesy pick-up lines. You know when I heard you two were going out, I was surprised you fell for it, now I feel better." I say, smiling. She laughs.

"Okay, so what do I do?" she asks.

"I was actually wondering if I could come over and talk to you. I'll bring Courfeyrac, maybe he can help."  
"Help with what?" she asks. I let out a breath. I'm finally going to let her go. I'm going to let Marius and Eponine be together. They're right for each other, almost too right for each other. They've been in love since they first met, they just haven't figured it out until now. Plus, I'm in love with Cosette. I just have to convince her that I'm the right one for her, and not Marius.

"Help you get Marius." I say.

"Seriously?" she asks. I can hear the smile through her voice.

"I'm going to call Courf. I'll be over in a little bit." I say and hang up. I feel so nervous, but tonight's the night. It's been the longest two and a half years, and I'm just hoping that everything is going to work out the way I want it to. It's all perfect in my head.

I look back at my phone and see the blank message I had ready for Cosette.

"6:30. Park. Meet me there." I type in and I press send.

I'm about to be Mr. Matchmaker here. I'm praying to God that it doesn't backfire on me.


	27. Chapter 27

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 26:  
Eponine's POV:

"I'm so sorry, Courf," I say, touching his hands. He looks up and smiles.

"I knew I wasn't going to be able to pull you away from Marius. It's cool. No hard feelings," he says.

"You're awesome, you know that?" I wink at him and pull my hands away.  
"Do I still get that date tonight?" he asks.

"That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about." Enj says to him. He walks over to my bed. Courfeyrac is sitting at the end and I'm sitting at my headboard on my pillows.  
"Yeah, we actually haven't talked about anything, Enj," I say. I have no idea where he's going with this.

"Okay, so, I know Marius really well, right? I know that he gets jealous really easily. So, we have to make him jealous of the two of you. And I'm sure him just seeing you two is going to drive him nuts." He says, clasping his hands together. "It won't be hard."

"How did he sound when he talked to you yesterday?" I ask him.

"He misses you. A lot. But he doesn't think that you do. Are you 100% sure you want to be with him? Are you positive you want to be with him?" he asks, looking down on me.

"This isn't some test is it? You're not going to make me feel bad for wanting to be with him right? I mean, you are with Cosette and all. You're completely over me so no matter what I say, you won't get mad?" I ask. I just have to make sure. His eyes go wide and he sucks in a breath. "What are you hiding from me?"

"What?" he asks, letting his breath out.

"You're holding your breath. You do that when you're hiding something. What is it? What did you do?" I ask, standing up and walking over to him. He lets out another breath he was holding in.

"I…um…I'm not really dating Cosette." He says.

"Excuse me?" I say, not sure that I heard him right.

"I'm not really with her. She doesn't feel that way about me, at least. Well, I'm not sure anymore. I thought I felt nothing for her. I was trying to get you back and she was trying to get Marius back. After talking to Marius, I realized that he's the one for you. And I think I'm really falling for Cosette. She and I have been together for the past three weeks. I feel something I've never felt before with her. But I know she thinks she still loves Marius. She has no idea that Marius feels nothing for her." He says. My heart drops. I guess Enjorlas and I really did have nothing. But then, his last words ring in my ears.

"Nothing?" I repeat.

"Even from the beginning. He said that he was trying to distract himself from you. He was hopelessly in love with you. But you were with me and he knew he couldn't do anything about that. So, he's always loved you and never Cosette." He says.

"And Cosette has no idea?" Courf asks.

"No. Eponine, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to turn into one big mess." Enj says, pulling me into him.

"You know what, as long as we all end up happy and I don't lose you in my life, I'm all fine." I smile. I pull away and walk back over to my bed.

"Okay, do we have a plan?" Courfeyrac asks Enjolras. He seems to be excited about this, which makes me feel a bit better about everything that's been happening.

"Marius asked me to meet him at 6 at the park. I told him it was going to be my final attempt at getting him to stay. You guys are going to go, flirt together, and knowing him, he's going to want to say something to you to get you to stop. I'll then convince him to say something to win you back. To tell you exactly what he's feeling. Then, you're going to kiss him. And not like the kiss he gave you the first time you kissed him. And not like the time you made out with him. A real one. One that shows how much you love him," Enj explains.

"Well, someone's really thought this through." I giggle. He comes over and shoves me and I fall onto my bed.

"But, wait. What about Cosette? Isn't she going to be kind of upset that you're setting her love interest up with her best friend?" Courf says. Oh, he's got a point.

"Don't worry about Cosette. I've got that one covered." He winks at us. I look at Courf and he shrugs.

This better work. This really better work.


	28. Chapter 28

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 27:  
Marius' POV:

I'm about a block away from the park. I told Enjorlas I would meet him here so he could try to convince me to stay. I just can't do it. I can't stay here or else I'll lose my mind. I know that Eponine and Courfeyrac are going to be here, that's mainly the reason why I wanted him to meet me here at 6, where they were meeting up. I need to give him a reason as to why I can't stay here. I need to do something for me.

I reach the park and see Enjorlas standing there. He comes up to me.

"Hey, man," he says.

"Okay, go ahead." I say. His eyes drift off behind me. I turn around and see Eponine and Courfeyrac holding hands and laughing. Eponine looks beyond gorgeous. Her hair is flowing perfectly on her shoulders. She's wearing a short green dress that makes her brown eyes pop. I can't take my eyes off of her. I feel jealously flooding through me like no other.

"Marius?" Enj says, tapping me. I snap my head to him and clear my throat.

"Sorry, did you say something?" I ask trying to keep myself from turning around again.

"Did you know they were going to be here?" he asks me, pointing at the two of them.

"I…um…I didn't know they were actually going to be hanging out at the park. I thought he was actually taking her out."

"Well, they look like they're having a pretty good time," he says, smirking a little. I look down, attempting to hide the disappointment in my face.

"Yeah, I guess so. If she's happy then good for her." I say, still hiding my face.

"Oh, you don't mean that," Enjorlas snaps.

"What?"

"You miss her. I can see it in your face…if you would even look at me," I look up at him and he makes a face, "Are you really going to let that kid take her from you in the blink of an eye?"

"Isn't this awkward for us to talk about? You were engaged to her." I say.

"For a day. Look, Marius. I've never seen two people more perfect for each other. You need to go over there and tell her exactly how you feel about her. Or else she's going to be gone forever. And I don't think you're ready to lose her," he finishes. I turn and look at them. Courf's getting close to her. He looks like he's getting ready to kiss her. My jealousy takes over and without another word I walk over to them. I shove Courfeyrac's arm away from her.

"Dude, what gives?" he asks, putting his hands up.

"You're not right for her and you are NOT going to kiss her," I say. I'm not even thinking about what I'm saying. I'm done holding this all in.

"Who are you to say who can kiss her and who can't?" he asks, stepping towards her.

"I'm her best friend. And I'm in love with her." I turn to Eponine. "There you go, Ep. I'm in love with you. And not like before. I didn't know what I wanted before and I broke your heart. I hurt you and I haven't forgiven myself for it. I almost lost the best thing that's ever happened to me," I start. I grab her hands. Words are going crazy in my head and I can't think straight, but the words are flowing perfectly out. And I can't stop telling her everything.

"From the first day I saw you, I knew there was something different about you. You were special. And I knew that from age 5. I got to grow up with you. I got to watch you grow up. I watched you fall in and out of love and I had to stay quiet in the background. I had to listen to you crying about Enjorlas all the time. I was there for you every step of the way. You are still so different. You are still so special. And I don't know what's going to happen in the future. But, I want you to know, right now, that I'm completely and hopelessly in love with you. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Please, Eponine. I need you to forgive me. I need you to tell me that you love me, too," I finish. I feel out of breath and dizzy. Eponine looks at me and doesn't move. She slowly moves her lips into a smile. She grabs my face and kisses me. I immediately feel sparks. This is nothing like it was before. I know that we're both feeling something right now. Gosh, she's perfect.

She pulls away and looks into my eyes.

"Now was that so hard to say?" she smiles. I hug her tightly and then remember that Courfeyrac is still there. He's smiling widely.

"Courf, I'm-"

"You're really going to apologize right now? That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and the most sensitive thing I've ever heard you say. I'm happy for you two," he smiles and high fives Eponine.

"Nice work, dude," she laughs and he walks off. I turn and see Enjorlas smiling and giving us two thumbs up.

"What is-?"

"There's plenty of time for talking later, just kiss me right now," she says.

I pull her to me again and kiss her. It's absolutely perfect and I know that I don't want to be with anyone else or be anywhere else. I pull away.  
"So does this mean you're not moving?" she asks, biting her lip. I nod.

"I love you, 'Ponine," I smile.

"Oh, that's a new one. I like it. And I love you," she kisses me again.

Finally, everything is perfect.


	29. Chapter 29

Don't Let Me Go:

Chapter 28:  
Cosette's POV:

Enjorlas said he wanted to meet at 6:30 today. He didn't give a reason why, but he said it was important. I turn the corner to the park which he and his friends, well…old friends, love so much. I see Enj standing there with the biggest smile on his face. His hands are behind his back and he looks overjoyed to see me. I walk over to him and cock my head to the side.

"What's going on?" I ask. He smiles even wider.

"So, remember why we started dating?" he asks. Is this some kind of joke.  
"Enj, we're not really together." I say and he giggles.

"You're telling me you never think about me more than just the little stunt we were pulling. You've never imagined us together, actually holding hands and kissing each other like we mean it. You're telling me, that this has always just been a platonic relationship to get back our exes?" he asks, still smiling. I feel a hitch in my breath. I can't say that I haven't thought about him. I wish I could say that Marius was the only one I thought about. But, he's not. I think about Enjorlas all the time. I never wanted to tell him because I thought he only wanted Eponine.

"What's your point, big shot?" I ask, trying to hide the smile from my face.

"My point is, I've never met anyone like you," he says and I roll my eyes. He grabs me by the waist. "You're beautiful. You're smart, funny, easy to get along with, and you're blonde. I've never been with a blonde before," he winks. I giggle and put my arms around his neck.

"Is that all?" I ask, looking into his eyes. I want to hear more. I love that he's talking about me like this.

"I've never felt the way I'm feeling about you. I've only known you for a month, I know that. I loved somebody else when I met you, I know that too. But somewhere in all of the mess we've all created, I fell in love with the girl who really knows me. I fell in love with somebody that I can confide in; someone that I can't stop thinking about," he smiles. "You're turn."  
"Who said I feel the same way about you?" I say, and he laughs.

"You also have the best sense of humor," he says.

"Well, you were the first person to try to make me feel like home here. You didn't just throw me off to the side. I feel completely safe when I'm with you. You're the one person who really gets me. I've never had a boyfriend before and you've treated me like a princess, even though it might not have been real from the beginning. I had no idea what love felt like. And now I do. You are always on my mind and no matter what I do, I can't seem to shake you out of it. You're also kind of hot," I smirk. He laughs and pulls me closer to him. I look at him and know what's coming next.

"Wait," I say, stopping him from leaning in.

"What?" he asks, confused.

"What about Eponine? And Marius?" I ask. I forgot about the plan and what our intention was from the beginning.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them," he says and turns around. "They're going to be just fine," I look where he's looking and see Ep and Marius sitting on a bench together, holding hands and laughing. I can't help but smile. Eponine's been in love with Marius, I could see it from the beginning. She was meant to be with him, not Enjorlas. This is the way it's supposed to be. I look back at him and turn his face back to me. I press my lips to his and feel a rush go through me. I've found the guy for me. There's no doubt about it. He pulls away and looks at me.

"Does that mean you're my girlfriend?" he asks and I laugh. I take his hand and we walk over to Eponine and Marius.

"Well, hey love birds," Ep says, getting up to hug me.  
"Hey, I could say the same about you two," I laugh, pulling away from her.

"Cosette," Marius says standing up. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through. And I'm sorry for hurting you," he says. I smile at him.

"It all happened for a reason. Now we're all happy," I say, looking at Enjorlas. He was already looking at me smiling. I've never seen him this happy before. Heck, I've never been this happy before.

Everything is perfect. More perfect than I could've imagined.

Who says there's no such thing in happy endings?


	30. Chapter 30

Don't Let Me Go:

Epilogue:

THIRD PERSON POV:

5 years later, Enjorlas is sitting in the waiting room of a hospital. He looks at the ring on his left hand and sucks in a breath. He hates being alone, especially in a hospital. He looks at the clock on the wall.

3:32pm.

She's been in there for 7 hours, he thinks to himself. Suddenly, he watched Marius burst through the doors wearing a surgeon's smock. Enjorlas stands up and walks over to him.

"How is she?" he asks before he even reaches Marius.

"Come with me," Marius says with a smile on his face. Enjorlas quickly follows behind him as Marius leads him to a room. He finds Cosette and hugs her tightly. He walks over to the bed where Eponine is laying. She looks up at him and smiles. In her hands is what looks like a balled up mess of blankets. Enjorlas can't help but smile.

"Is it-?"

"It's a boy," Eponine croaks out. "Enj, I'm really glad you're here."  
"I wouldn't miss this for the world. You're my best friend." He says, looking at the baby. Marius comes over and lays his hand on Enjorlas' shoulder.

"You want to hold him?" he asks. He looks down at Eponine.

"Can I?" he asks.

"You are the godfather, aren't you?" she smiles. Marius walks over to her and lifts the baby out of her arms. He carefully walks over to Enjorlas and hands him over. Cosette quietly walks behind Enjorlas and awes.

"He has your eyes, Ep." He says, holding the baby close. "What's his name?"

"Enjorlas. Enjorlas Sage." Marius says, smiling.

"You named him after me?" he asks, tears welling in his eyes.

"Yes, but we're calling him Sage so we don't get you two confused," Eponine says from her bed. Marius walks over to Eponine and holds her hand tightly. Eponine smiles. She's tired, and he can tell. Enjorlas brings Sage back over to them. Cosette follows behind him, holding his waist.

All four of them are thinking the same thing. They were all brought together for a reason. They were meant to be lovers, they were meant to be best friends, but most importantly, they were meant to be with each other in moments like this. They were meant to be there for the milestones of each other's relationships. They're friendship has been unbroken for 5 years. They were the best men and the maids of honor at each other's weddings. They've been through highs and lows, but they stuck through it all. They love each other and nothing could ever break them apart. They'll all be together. Forever. And they will never let one another go.

THE END


	31. PLEASE READ THIS LAST PART:)

SPECIAL THANKS:

Thank you to all who read "Don't Let Me Go"! The feedback I got on it was incredible. You guys have made my days so many times, it's unbelievable! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Sadly, the Fanfic had to end BUT, I'm starting a new one tonight. It's called "Lost" and it brings back all your favorite characters and it has been so much fun for me to write! It's another Les Miserables fanfic, and I'll probably only be writing those kinds. Please, please check it out. If you loved "Don't Let Me Go" you're going to love this one! Again, thank you. Writing these wouldn't be fun at all if it weren't for your support! You guys are all so sweet and I hope you keep reading and keep following! I love you all!


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